


Emotional Challenge

by Sedatephobia



Category: Undertale
Genre: Fire, Flashblack, Grillby's, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Murder, PTSD, Souls, Suicide Attempt, Torture, War, Worried Sans
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-04-07
Updated: 2016-04-07
Packaged: 2018-05-31 22:13:30
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,332
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6489370
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sedatephobia/pseuds/Sedatephobia
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A collective fic consisting of multiple one word prompts centered around my interpretation of Grillby.<br/>Will guest star many other characters.<br/>Sansby may be contained if you squint.</p><p> </p><p>This will get dark quickly, please read all tags, I will not warn you what will happen before a chapter.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Emotional Challenge

**Author's Note:**

> Chapter one: Vulnerable
> 
> Grillby has a bit of an upset.

Grillby never lost control. It was something he prided himself on. If he lost control, it would not be pretty. It was dangerous. He could easily lose his sense of self. Let the burning, the roaring flames, roll through him, obliterating any individual thought. 

The bartender never lost control but today he came close. He knew it was coming, in retrospect. There had been a pressure of a sort, bearing down on his cour. He had felt heavy, sluggish. Everything had taken on a shade of grey, all colors had bled out. He felt them burning in his soul. If he were to enter a battle it would have been noticeable. The bright silver soul pulsating orange and red and blue alternatively. He had a high LV. He had killed so many monsters and humans alike. Monsters could not gain EXP from other monsters, but if they could, his LV would have been around 40. He remembered every moment, each slaughter. 

Most of them happened in the war. He was protecting his King and Queen. There was no Royal Guard then. There was no reason for it to, humans and monsters had co-existed relatively peacefully, a few scuffles that ended in bruised and hurt egos. Nothing serious, nothing dangerous. Or so they had thought. There had been a slow movement in the human population. Slow, sly, crawling on it’s belly biting at the ankles of the human population. Slowly envenomating the tense peace. 

Eventually, something broke. The monsters had felt the beast and took up arms in silence, in secret. The tension rose to a crescendo before dropping harshly as both sides struck within days of each other. The first battles were timid. They kept to their respective sides. No one really knew what the other side could do. Battalions skittered forward to poke at their enemies before retreating, tails raised. The first month there had been no casualties. No injuries. Nothing beyond mutual fear.

Grillby had been the first to act, though he didn’t know it at the time. He was young, little more than a young adult. He was protecting his Royalty. Before anyone knew it, the sides had encroached on each other, wanting to conflict, but nervous. Grillby saw a human sneak into their camp with a long sword attached to their hip. It looked like they were making their way to the King’s tent. Without sparing any thought, Grillby’s magic manifested itself into a sword, mirroring the human’s. One agile leap from his position and a bright flare of his flames startled the human enough that it had no time to retaliate. The soldier’s sword pierced it’s chest, cauterizing the wound simultaneously. There was no mess, no noise. No fuss. The human didn’t have time to cry out, just utter a soft, surprised sound. Grillby watched as the bright green soul floated over its chest before bliping out of existence. 

Something in the future bartender twisted. He enjoyed it. He liked watching his sword, his magic, sink into the tender flesh of the enemy. He craved the sudden eruption of his magic once more. He was finally in his element. Finally useful. Fire, in the end, craved destruction. No matter how nice it played. There was another want, so hidden in the pure joy, pure elation, that Grillby didn’t even notice it. His soul craved it’s inverse. That bright green soul. It was a need so primal, so great, it mimicked his hunger.  
That was the first time the monster had killed. It sparked the entirety of the war. The war was not his fault, he was just the catalyst. It would have started without him, but he made it great. The Great War. It was not the last time he had killed in the war. He soon became the most ruthless soldier, his kills clean and efficient. He rose through the ranks of the makeshift army. Each time a soul blipped from existence he couldn’t help but cry out in longing. 

Once, partly through the war, there was another human in their camp. Captured from the front lines. The King had meant to question it for motive, to see if there was any chance for peace. The human refused to cooperate, thinking the goat monster was asking for more nefarious means. He wasn’t. He just wanted to end this conflict. His wife was distraught, her kingdom, who she loved as a child, was being destroyed both by itself and the humans. His commander, a young Grillby, was terrifying. Asgore had never seen such glee, such animation, in the fire’s eyes before. It scared him. He was worried, not for the humans; for in a way he thought the deserved the fire’s wrath. He was worried for his friend. 

The human prisoner was stubborn. It refused to give any detail. Soon the King gave up, he was wasting time on something that was fruitless. However, even in wartimes the King couldn’t bring himself to kill something vulnerable. Asgore didn’t really want to delegate Grillby to dispatch the human, but he had no choice. Some of his army would disapprove of the capture. 

The soldier stepped forward at the King’s wave of a hand. He stood straight and stopic, chin raised high, arms hanging down straight at his sides. Grillby was a picture perfect soldier in this moment. In the next his armor grew white-hot and a cruel smirk split his face, excited to please and unleash his magic once more. 

His magic crackled in the air, quick to form the blade made of fire. Grillby’s prefered weapon was the broadsword but now his magic condensed into a small knife. Perfect for what he was planning to do. Wickedly sharp and bright. Asgore’s eyes widened and he stepped out of the tent, unable to watch what he knew would happen next.

Taking off his helmet, Grillby stepped in front of the human, who glared at the monster in an attempt to save face. However, the fire was not one to care about false masks, everyone screamed eventually. It did not matter how he looked now. Dimly the soldier knew that he was supposed to gather information, not his own gratification. The thought was pushed into the back of his mind as the human before him let out a soft whimper as his blade drew first blood.  
Grillby practically moaned at the continued sounds the human made. There was nothing sweeter to him thus far. He slid the blade down the man’s throat almost lovingly, his magic leaving a shallow cut in it’s wake. Blood dripped from various cuts and gashes. Bruises bloomed like flowers across the human’s pale flesh. The fire was intrigued by it’s skin as he had none of his own. He pulled and twisted and poked the flesh. His hands, heated in excitement, left burns that made the human cry out again and again. 

He didn’t mean to go so far, he really didn’t. He was a being of fire, pure fire. He had no skin, bones, organs. His core was just hotter. He didn’t bleed like the human did. So, it really wasn’t his fault. 

Grillby was standing too close to the human when it died, practically straddling it’s lap in an effort to see the damage he was doing. Too close when the soul, a dusty blue, rose from it’s chest, straight into Grillby’s. 

He screamed. It hurt. It hurt. It hurt. Ithurtithurtithurtithurt! His mind was consumed with one thing - pain. It wasn’t a physical pain. It was as if something was pulling his soul apart. Just when he thought it would crack and he would be no more, the pain stopped. 

When the monster opened his eyes, everything looked different. Usually his vision was monochrome orange, some shades lightning to yellow and darkening to red.  
But now, there were colors he had never seen before. Blues combining with yellow and red to create the entire spectrum. Some part of his mind, right then, decided that blue was his favorite color. Soon the thought was whisked away as he noticed his new power. Never had he felt this strong before, he was practically vibrating with unused power. 

It was so easily under his command. Hardly a thought and the magic was rushing to obey. A single glance ignited the human remains in front of him. The power was beyond addicting. He had a new form, his face had morphed into a beak, his legs into dangerously clawed talons, his arms had formed into giant flaming wings. He was no longer a humanoid being, he was truly monstrous. His eyes had a cruel shape as they blazed warningly to those around him. This new Grillby had a different view than the old grillby did. Everything was a pawn, everything could be used. He was cold and calculating. He no longer took pleasure from killing, but a deep seated satisfaction roared through him. He still killed needlessly, driven by a need to be stronger while in this form.

The soul that Grillby had accidentally consumed was weak and its power waned quickly, pulling the phoenix down from his high. Those brief moments of power had changed Grillby. He was much calmer, he didn’t enjoy killing or hurting those around him. He did still get satisfaction, though it was muted. Mostly he craved another soul. It was a new need that had awakened in him, overpowering his hunger, his need for rest. He commanded his army and almost turned the tides. 

Other monsters saw the power human souls had and started consuming them as well. The humans were getting desperate when, finally, that ugly beast who had sowed the seeds of the war showed itself. It was not human. It was a monster. They had been betrayed by their own kind. The monster, a strange vine-like creature consumed a soul as well. It’s desperation chasing out the fear. It grew and grew. It’s vines snaking around all of the monsters, squeezing them, crushing some of the smaller ones to dust. 

Why the monster decided to throw them into Mt Ebbot instead of just killing them all, no one knew. Some speculated that it’s soul wouldn’t allow it. Some thought it just wanted them to suffer. Whatever the reason, the entirety of the monster race was dropped down a cave and left to build a new society while the vine creature sealed them up. 

At first the monsters had raged against each other, factions splitting off and trying to start a war once again. Grilby kept his distance, despair slowly clawing at his soul. He was trapped. There was no way out. No way to get more souls. He was never going to become that being again. Unbeknownst to the rest of the populace, Grillby was letting his flames unravel, letting them burn through his soul. He was hardly a monster anymore, he didn’t know his name. He still existed, he still - 

A sharp pain brought him out of his hallucination. Hissing in surprise, Grillby drew back and blinked at his surroundings. His bar. He was back in his bar. No - he had never left. He was remembering. Remembering what it felt like to be that creature, to wield so much power. 

Again, something interrupted his thoughts, snapping this time. Sans was in front of him, right hand a little blacker than usual. Grillby stared at it blankly before he remembered the pain. Sans had slapped him? “...Sans?” His voice came out hoarse and breathy, showing himself just how gone he was. 

“sorry, bud.” Sans tried to plaster a smile back onto his face, but Grillby had seen his worry, his fear that an old friend would rip himself apart through memories. “had to, you were, um..” Sans couldn’t describe what had been happening in all honesty. He had never seen Grillby look so sinister, so spread out. He had thought the bartender had a bad day at first. The bar was empty, all patrons having fled long ago when they felt the first flame of Grillby’s uncontrolled magic blaze up. Sans was about to back out and leave the own to himself until he noticed that the monster’s flames were much less condensed. Hardly keeping their usual humanoid shape.  
The skeleton had acted without thinking, slapping the hysterical monster and burning himself in the process. He didn’t mind, his Grillbz needed the help. Worried as the fire monster started to slip back into old memories, Sans rushed around the bar and made the veteran sit in one of the stools. 

Grillby watched Sans with muted emotions as the little monster rushed around the bar, performing all the closing duties as rushed as possible before returning to Grillby’s side,“c’mon pal. let's get you somewhere else.”

Sans debated on teleporting them both to Grillby’s house on the outskirts of Waterfall but decided against it. He didn’t know the monster’s mindset. It had shaken his soul once he realized Grillby was falling down. He teleported them directly to the well loved couch in his living room. The skeleton helped Grillby sit down upon it, thinking the artificial stars that Papyrus was over at Undyne’s for cooking lessons. Heaving a tired sigh, Sans pulled a mismatched ottoman closer to the couch, unknowing if the fire would appreciate his closeness at this point in his episode.

“...Sans,” Grillby tried again, his voice a little more steady, a little more like it’s usual warmth. “...Thank you.” He leaned forwards, not much caring for appearances at the moment. He clasped Sans’ hand in one of his larger ones, and hid his face in the other, sighing heavily. “...I honestly do not know where I would be if it was not for you.”

The skeletal hand moved to grasp the fire’s, intertwining their fingers and giving it a squeeze., “ it doesn’t matter, grilbz. ‘m here now and will be for a while, yeh?”

Grillby nodded, thankful that Sans choose not to mention his vulnerability.

**Author's Note:**

> If you have a prompt you'd like to see me do, please leave a comment!


End file.
